Every year, the video game world sees the release of major sporting titles, such as FIFA, Madden, and NBA 2K. These games all include virtual versions of real-life players to make them as authentic as possible. But real players like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James aren’t the only sports stars in the video game world. There are also plenty of fictional athletes in gaming.
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In most cases, they don’t actually appear in sports games. Instead, they feature in RPGs, action-adventure titles, and survival horror games. The fact they’re pro athletes is typically just part of their backstory. The following fictional athletes are the most iconic gaming has ever seen.
By the secondDead Risinggame, zombies are fairly commonplace in the main setting of Fortune City. So, typical sporting events probably don’t exist around these parts. This is a shame for protagonist Chuck Greene because he is a former motocross champion.
7Little Mac - Punch-Out!! Series
Even though he doesn’t have much personality, Little Mac ranks among the most iconic athletes in gaming. After all, he is the protagonist in one ofthe greatest boxing games ever, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!. He also appears in the other much-less famous Punch-Out!! titles.
In the games, he is an up-and-coming young boxer with dreams of being the best. This means working his way up the ranks by beating everyone in front of him. What’s really impressive is that there is a lack of weight divisions in these titles, so he routinely faces opponents much larger than him but still comes out on top.
Season three of TellTale’s The Walking Dead is a little odd because a man named Javier Garcia suddenly enters the series as a new protagonist. At this point in the series, all the living characters are amid an apocalypse, including Javier.
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Yet, a series of flashbacks show he wasn’t doing too great before the zombie outbreak, either. After all, his professional baseball career came to an end because of a gambling scandal. Still, there was a time when he was a successful shortstop and a well-known figure in the sports world.
5Alex Hunter - FIFA Series
FIFAis known for including real-life football players with photorealistic faces. However, some of the games also include a fictional player called Alex Hunter. He features as the protagonist of the Journey story mode that spans from FIFA 17 to FIFA 19.
During these games, you get to see his rise from a young man to a footballing superstar. It’s a bumpy road for him, but he remains a likable character throughout. His actual footballing talent, though, slightly depends on you. After all, you’re the one who actually plays the matches.
4Zarya - Overwatch
Theplayable characters in Overwatch vary in quality and usefulness. But if you were to rank them by their physiques, then Zarya would be near the top. There is a reason she is so jacked. Prior to the events of Overwatch, Zarya spent much of her life as a bodybuilder and weightlifter.
In regards to the latter, she even won championships and is now considered one of the strongest women in the world. She could’ve gone on to break all the records, but she chose to join the war effort instead.
3Vulcan Raven - Metal Gear Solid
Vulcan Raven is one of the imposing threats that Solid Snake faces throughout the original Metal Gear Solid. Part of that is because he’s brandishing a huge mini-gun at the time, but his large frame is also intimidating.
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The Alaskan puts that body to good use as he competes in the Eskimo-Indian Olympics. In the original MGS, it’s revealed that he excels in the Ear Pull and Maktak eating events. However, in the Twin Snakes remake, his preferred competitions are said to be the Four Man Carry and Stick Pull. All these events test the strength and endurance of the competitors.
2Tidus - Final Fantasy 10
There are a lot offictional sports in games that vary in accessibility. One of the harder ones to play would be Blitzball from the Final Fantasy series since it takes place underwater. Yet, several people in Final Fantasy 10 don’t seem to have an issue with that, most notably Tidus. He is, after all, a professional Blitzball player.
He’s a rising star in the sport and is trying to live up to his father, who is among the all-time great Blitzball players. Tidus' efforts to reach his father’s level are stalled in Final Fantasy 10 because he’s too preoccupied with saving the day.
1Augustus Cole - Gears Of War Series
Marcus Fenix might be the main protagonist for most of theGearsinstalments, but Augustus ‘Cole-Train’ Cole is the heart of the series. During the events of the games, he serves as a dependable soldier in the COG army. But before all the wars started, he was a very successful Thrashball player. In fact, his success made him famous.
The sport of Thrashball has never really been explained. From what has been revealed about the sport, it seems to bare some resemblance to American Football. Whatever the game is, it’s very popular, and Cole is great at it.
